# Shakura S'Aida

Shakura S'Aida is a Canadian blues vocalist, songwriter and actress. She is sometimes credited Shakura.

## History

Shakura S'Aida was born in Brooklyn and lived in Switzerland before moving to Canada.
S'Aida was lead singer of the 13-piece world music ensemble Kaleefah, before embarking on her solo career. She has also performed as a backing vocalist for Rita MacNeil and Patti LaBelle, as well as with jazz musicians such as Jimmy Smith and Ruth Brown. She has also been nominated for several Juno Awards for her music.
S'Aida independently released her first solo album, Blueprint, in 2008. Her second album, Brown Sugar, was released in 2010 on Ruf Records. In 2012, she released a double CD, Time, on Electro-Fi Records.
As an actress, she starred in a Toronto production of George Boyd's Consecrated Ground in 2004, as well as Sudz Sutherland's Doomstown in 2006 and Sharon Lewis's film Brown Girl Begins in 2018.
In 2013, she was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Contemporary Blues Female Artist' category.

## Discography

* Blueprint (2008, independent)
* Brown Sugar (2010, Ruf)
* Time (2012, Electro-Fi)

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1995 | First Degree | Ella Rodie | |
| 1996 | Talk to Me | Scarecrow | |
| 1996 | Critical Choices | Mother | |
| 1999 | A Map of the World | Guard | |
| 2000 | Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story | Backup singer (as Shakura S'Aida) | |
| 2006 | Doomstown | Karen Twisleton | |
| 2007 | A Winter Tale | Charmaine | |
| 2017 | Whitewash | The Narrator (voice) | Video documentary |
| 2017 | Brown Girl Begins | Mami | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | Falcone | The Waitress | Series |
| 2005 | Kevin Hill | Jury Foreman | Series |
| 2007 | The Jane Show | Lillian | Series |
| 2008 | Flashpoint | Jackie | Series |
| 2009 | 'Da Kink in My Hair | Shirley Andrews | Series |
| 2010–2011 | Turbo Dogs | Marlene | Series |
| 2012 | The Firm | Researcher | Series |
| 2013 | CBC Music Festival | Herself | TV special |
| 2010–2015 | Lost Girl | Dark Fae Elder | Series |
| 2015 | Saving Hope | Cora Boullot | Series |
| 2016–2017 | Schitt's Creek | Lena | Series |
| 2021–present | Batwoman | Cora Lewis | Season Two |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
| 1998 | The Destruction of Eve (by Svetlana Zylin and Connie Kaldor) | Unknown | with Company of Sirens | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Result |
| 1993 | Juno Awards of 1993 | Best World Music Artist/Band | Nominated |
| 2004 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2005 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2007 | Maple Blues Award | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated |
| 2007 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2008 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2009 | Maple Blues Award | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated |
| 2009 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2010 | Maple Blues Award | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated |
| 2010 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Won |
| 2010 | Maple Blues Award | Recording of the Year (for Brown Sugar (Ruf Records)) | Nominated |
| 2011 | Maple Blues Award | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated |
| 2011 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2012 | Maple Blues Award | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated |
| 2012 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2012 | Maple Blues Award | Songwriter of the Year (with Donna Grantis) | Nominated |
| 2012 | Maple Blues Award | Recording of the year (for Time (Electro-Fi Records), with Howard Ayee) | Nominated |
| 2013 | Juno Awards of 2013 | Best Blues Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2013 | Blues Music Awards | Contemporary Female Artist | Nominated |
| 2013 | Maple Blues Award | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated |
| 2013 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2014 | Maple Blues Award | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated |
| 2014 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2015 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2016 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2017 | Maple Blues Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2023 | Juno Awards of 2023 | Best Contemporary Roots Album of the Year | Nominated |